


Oh, Danny boy, I love you so!

by Claire_cz



Series: Quarantink 2020 [18]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Gen, Internal Monologue, Not Beta Read, Prometo, Quarantink, choreography, danny boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23482969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claire_cz/pseuds/Claire_cz
Summary: Before starting to learn the choreography for Prometo, Javi watches his Danny Boy exhibition for inspiration.[My love letter to Danny Boy, the best exhibition in the world.]
Series: Quarantink 2020 [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666834
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Oh, Danny boy, I love you so!

**Author's Note:**

> Part 20 of quarantine challenge - prompt: delicacy.

And you hit "Send". That's it. If Sandra wants you to skate to Spanish pop you've found the perfect piece. _Prometo_. And she agrees. She wants the choreography to be about beautiful lines, passionate leaps, no jumps, no comedy. Well, comedy is out of question, it's a song about a break-up...

And while you've always wanted to make people feel, it was usually to bring them joy, let them smile and laugh. The program closest to your future Prometo is probably Danny Boy so you just go to your laptop to re-watch this program. Just for inspiration, to get into this mood. You type "IdF 2017 Javier Fernandez gala"

What would you see?

_A lean figure clad in simple black outfit. V-neck long sleeve shirt, pants and a belt. Calmness. A glide into the centre. A look up to the heaven. Eternity? Or just the ice rink's ceiling? Just a simple pose, bending the head down. Skating backwards, a short twizzle move, a leap, a pose - bent as a bow, one-foot skating..._

[It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.]

_Outside-edge, inside-edge, long spread eagle, jump, spin, another pose, running with stretched out hands... full of roses? Or just prepared to hug someone? Down on the knee._

_Change of tempo. The singer's voice getting stronger. More energy into the skating. High kick. Twizzles. A leap. Down almost on the knee. Ina Bauer, jump, spin, finish with the hand raised. And only long after the last tone of music dies down, the black clad figure smiles._

Instead of hitting the repeat button you'll search for another version. The first performance of this program, in Boston. It's the same program. You have your almost trademark suspenders on and a simple white t-shirt. You don't begin with your hand raised, though. And you can't help but smile. This shy smile hiding that you can't quite believe what you've achieved and yet being so happy and proud about your accomplishment. You finish the program with your hand on your heart.

[Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!]

It's a nice memory. Though the performance itself may be a bit slower than the IdF version. A bit fragmentized, with a less noticeable change in skating in the middle after the music intensifies. You don't know it but, these little imprecisions aside, this performance makes a TV commentator exclaim: "J _avier Fernandez is quite probably the most versatile current skater. He is the one who can express comedy, drama and also lyrical programs._ "

You watch IdF Danny Boy again. You don't concentrate on individual elements this time. In your mind, you hear David's instructions and praise: "Oh, soft hand, thorough the program, soft hands, constant flowing motion, sadness, hope, don't overplay it, just show it."

You've found it. You've achieved it. The delicacy of motion. Creating art with your skates on.

You'll bring _Prometo_ to life and invite every spectator to feel genuine emotions. Exactly as Danny Boy has taught you.

**Author's Note:**

> 2016 Worlds Danny Boy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmiQjWaBQyM  
> 2017 IdF Danny Boy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAI0pDGEAuo  
> *Amazing* article by Bev Smith about Prometo and how Sandra Bezic choreographed it: https://bevsmithwrites.com/javier-fernandez-a-promise/  
> Javi skated to the version interpreted by John McDermott but I also love the Italian version sung by no other than Andrea Bocelli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfFJaU-CeH4
> 
> The TV commentator part happened in real life. Our TV commentator is Javi's fan. We approve.


End file.
